Castro, Contreras carry ChiSox over Cleveland
Baseball Betting Lines
07/01/2009 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Castro hit a go-ahead three-run homer in a four-run sixth inning, and Jose Contreras pitched eight strong frames as the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 6-2 victory.
Castro hit his fifth homer of the year, while Contreras (3-7) allowed only two runs on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts to earn his third win in five decisions.
Alexei Ramirez went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Gordon Beckham each had a pair of hits in the White Sox's fifth straight win.
Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore each had an RBI, while Jamey Carroll and Victor Martinez scored a run apiece for the Indians, who have lost five in a row. Jeremy Sowers (2-6) yielded five runs on 11 hits with a walk and two strikeouts in six innings of work.
After 2 1/2 scoreless innings, the Indians jumped in front in the third. Carroll started the frame with a single to right and moved to third on Ben Francisco's double. After Asdrubal Cabrera struck out, Sizemore hit an RBI groundout to second.
Ramirez's RBI single in the fifth tied the game and the White Sox stormed ahead with four runs in the sixth.
Thome started the rally with a one-out single, and Konerko followed suit with another base hit. Castro followed by belting an outside pitch over the fence in right for a 4-1 Chicago lead. Jayson Nix made it four hits in a row with a double, and he scored on Beckham's RBI single for a four-run cushion.
Cleveland cut its deficit to three in the home sixth on back-to-back two-out doubles from Martinez and Choo.
However, Chicago restored a four-run lead in the seventh on Konerko's two-out RBI hit.
Contreras lasted through the eighth without giving up another run, and Matt Thornton pitched a scoreless ninth to polish off the win.
Game Notes
The White Sox lead the season series, 5-4...Chicago was 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position, while the Indians were just 1-for-7.
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez continued his recent power surge, belting the go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning that lifted the New York Yankees to their seventh straight victory, 4-2, over the Seattle Mariner
<< Canadiens sign Gionta, Gill
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward
Brian Gionta to a five-year contract and defenseman Hal Gill to a two-year
deal, the team announced Wednesday.
Financial terms of both deals were not release
<< Flames sign Sjostrom
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames signed forward Fredrik
Sjostrom, the club announced on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not
disclosed.
Sjostrom, who was an original first round pick (11th overall) of the P
<< Rangers give long-term deal to Gaborik
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers made a big splash on the
first day of free agency, inking free agent forward Marian Gaborik to a five-
year contract.
TSN Canada is reporting the deal is worth $7.5 million yearly.
Ga
<< Coyotes ink G LaBarbera to two-year deal
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes have signed goaltender
Jason LaBarbera to a two-year contract, the team announced Wednesday.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
LaBarbera, 29, split last season between
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Prado was at it again, scoring three runs and driving in two more runs after a four-RBI evening on Tuesday, as Atlanta poured it on Philadelphia, 11-1, at Turner Field. Gregor Blanco scored tw
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Randy Wells tossed seven innings of one-run ball to lead the Chicago Cubs past
the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at PNC
Park.
Butler/Georgetown, Indiana/Pittsburgh comprise Jimmy V Classic >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Butler will face Georgetown, and Indiana will
take on Pittsburgh in the matchups for this year's Jimmy V Classic, to be held
at Madison Square Garden on December 8.
This will be the debut for Georgetown and
Cueto, Reds blank D'Backs >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Cueto tossed six shutout innings and
the Reds bullpen finished the two-hitter from there, as Cincinnati blanked
Arizona, 1-0, in the second of three games with the Diamondbacks.
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Ottawa brings back Neil >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators announced on Wednesday that
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The Ottawa Sun reports Neil chose to stay in Ottawa despite a
Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.
The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.
Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.
MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:
Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
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